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“The Kesh Jig” is yet another fiddle tune that is usually labeled as a “beginner” song. I’ve covered a few of these already: “Egan’s” is a basic polka with no frills. “Boys of Bluehill” is admittedly full of elementary phrasing. I still like them both, though.
But “The Kesh” is a darn good tune. It’s so catchy, Flogging Molly used it in the lead song on their debut album, “Salty Dog.” And long before that, it was the original Irish folk song for many people in the States. A recording of “The Kesh” alongside “The Maid Behind the Bar” by Edward Herborn and James Wheeler was the first piece of Irish folk music Columbia ever put on a record. You can read the full history here on The Traditional Tune Archive if you’re interested.
The worst you can say about “The Kesh” is that it’s overplayed, but that’s only because so many people like it. Also, “The Kesh” is fun to play, and that’s really all that matters, at least to me
“The Kesh Jig” Playing Tips
“The Kesh” is a jig – obviously. You’ll see it written as “The Kesh Jig” and “The Kesh” in different places. The inclusion of “jig” is a courtesy to anyone not already familiar with the tune to know what to expect for the rhythm (6/8 – think “1-2-3, 2-2-3″), but anyone who knows Irish folk music is going to know this tune, so “The Kesh” is all that is needed to identify it.
Dropping the tune type from the name is common practice with a lot of songs in the folk genre, so watch out for it. “Cooley’s” instead of “Cooley’s Reel”, “Egan’s” instead of “Egan’s Polka,” etc.
Work on this one slowly at first to get the timing right. You’ve got two main types of measures: “dotted quarter + a triplet” and “two triplets.” Use rhythm syllables, finger taps, or whatever method you prefer to get the timing down before trying to play the melody:
Dotted quarter + triplet:
TA-i TRI-o-la
Two Triplets:
TRI-o-la TRI-o-la
High G Version
Since “The Kesh” is a fairly simple tune (alright, I admit it), I was able to transpose it up so you can play it on a high G uke if that’s all you have. You’ll have to stretch up the to 5th and 7th frets in the final measures, but other than that, it plays pretty much the same as the low G version.
Click the link or the ‘Download’ button below to see the sheet music if your browser doesn’t display the embedded PDF. The high G version of the song is the bottom download button. Happy picking!
“The Kesh Jig” Low G Sheet Music Download
“The Kesh Jig” High G Sheet Music Download
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